I've decided not to do any post for Year 2's preseason, as while a lot of younger players did see the field, not many of them did anything worth talking about. Instead, I've moved ahead to complete the first 8 games of our schedule, so let's see how things are shaping off in the first half of our title defense.
First Half Results
Week 1 was an AFC Championship rematch, as we hosted the Browns, coming up short after Nick Chubb totaled 131 yards on the ground in a 7 point Cleveland win. Week 2 was an immediate bounceback, with a 16 point win over the Dolphins, and Week 3 was even better, an absolute demolition of the Chargers, as we romped to a 27-6 win. Week 4 continued our winning ways, as we survived a nailbiter against the Seahawks, just beating out the best Russell Wilson had to offer, and Week 5 ticked the win streak up to 4, as we edged out the Cardinals thanks to a fourth quarter comeback, scoring 14 unanswered in a 7 point win. Unfortunately, a Week 6 trip to Buffalo ended poorly, as Bills receiver Robert Foster caught the game-winner in overtime, but we quickly got back in form, trouncing the Jets 29-3 to head into our bye week. The first half of the season ended with a road trip to Denver, where we pummeled the Broncos 39-15, leaving our record at 6-2 currently, giving us the top spot in the AFC East.
Stat Leaders
Passing Yards
Jacoby Brissett (2,015)
Passing Touchdowns
Jacoby Brissett (16)
Interceptions
Jacoby Brissett (4)
Rushing Yards
Sony Michel (364, 4.4 per carry)
Rushing Touchdowns
James White (3)
Receptions
Matt LaCosse and N'Keal Harry (34)
Receiving Yards
Matt LaCosse (439)
Reciving Touchdowns
Cameron Meredith (5)
Tackles
Kyle Van Noy (60)
Tackles For Loss
Dont'a Hightower (8)
Sacks
Lawrence Guy (10.5)
Interceptions
Jason McCourty and Stephon Gilmore (3)
Pass Deflections
Stephon Gilmore and Jamie Collins (4)
Forced Fumbles
Jamie Collins (2)
Analysis
Our defense has been electric this year, allowing the least yards, second-least amount of points, and intercepting the most passes in the NFL. The offense has struggled a little bit more, mostly due to the health of Sony Michel, who only played 4 of these 8 games, though James White and Trey Edmunds have filled his spot admirably, with all three backs finishing the first half with over 350 rushing yards. In the passing game, Jacoby Brissett has been largely mistake-free, and while his receivers haven't been the best quality, Matt LaCosse, N'Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, and Cameron Meredith have all had their moments. I added an extra weapon for Brissett right before the start of the season, trading our first round pick and nose tackle Danny Shelton to acquire Josh Reynolds from the Rams. I know Reynolds has no prior history with New England, technically breaking my rules from the outset of this series, but I allowed myself to do it, with the qualifier that we had to give up our first round pick, and Reynolds was on the trade block, so he clearly didn't hold much important to Los Angeles. Reynolds hasn't done much yet, and will need to be re-signed, so it probably wasn't the best usage of that pick, but oh well.
I'll see you again at the end of Year 2, where we will likely be preparing for another playoff run, unless the wheels totally fall of the bus between now and then.
- Henry
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